WarioWare

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WarioWare
Logo since 2004
Genres	Action Party Puzzle Rhythm Sports
Developers	Nintendo R&D1 (2003) Intelligent Systems (2003–present) Nintendo SPD (2004‍–‍2013) Tose (2023)
Publisher	Nintendo
Artist	Ko Takeuchi
Composers	Ryoji Yoshitomi Kyoko Miyamoto
Platforms	Game Boy Advance GameCube Nintendo DS Wii Nintendo DSi Wii U Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Switch
First release	WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! March 21, 2003
Latest release	WarioWare: Move It! November 3, 2023
Parent series	Wario

WarioWare (also known as WarioWare, Inc.), known in Japan as Made in Wario (Japanese: メイド イン ワリオ, Hepburn: Meido in Wario), is a series of games featuring the Nintendo character Wario. The series was established in 2003 with the release of Mega Microgames! for the Game Boy Advance. While the first two games were developed by Nintendo R&D1, subsequent games have been co-developed by Intelligent Systems.

The distinctive feature of all WarioWare games is that they are collections of short, simple "microgames" presented in quick succession. The player is given four lives at the beginning of these microgames. Each of these microgames lasts about three to five seconds and must be completed, or else a life will be lost. For example, there is a microgame where the player must zap a spaceship; in another, Wario must collect coins in a Pac-Man-like maze. The numerous microgames are linked together randomly and steadily increase in speed and difficulty as the player progresses. On each level, losing four games results in a game over. After a certain amount of microgames have been played, the player faces a stage-specific boss microgame; the player must complete these to regain a lost life (with a maximum of four lives at any given time). Boss microgames are considerably longer and more complex than other microgames. For example, a boss microgame in Mega Microgames! instructs the player to hit a nail with a hammer multiple times in a row.

Development

The idea of microgames or minigames was popularized generally during the Nintendo 64's fifth generation of video game consoles and some early minigames appear in the Nintendo 64DD's Mario Artist: Talent Studio in the style that would give rise to the WarioWare series. Certain minigames originated in Mario Artist: Polygon Studio, as explained by Goro Abe of Nintendo R&D1's so-called Wario Ware All-Star Team: "In Polygon Studio you could create 3D models and animate them in the game, but there was also a side game included inside. In this game you would have to play short games that came one after another. This is where the idea for Wario Ware came from." Teammate Yoshio Sakamoto continued, "To add on that, we got the idea of using Wario and the other characters because we couldn't think of anyone else who would be best for the role. Wario is always doing stupid things and is really idiotic, so we thought him and the rest of the characters would be best for the game."^: p.2

Games

Gameplay

Gameplay in the series revolves around Microgames, simple video games created by the fictional company WarioWare, Inc. Nintendo's line of WarioWare games each feature these microgames, which are generally less than five seconds long. Microgames are even simpler and shorter than the minigames found in other games such as the Mario Party series. Gameplay in all WarioWare games is distinct from most other games, as they involve the player or players trying to beat the microgames as soon as possible. Most games present instructions in the form of a verb and quickly drop the player into the situation where they must perform said verb. The extremely stripped-down gameplay has intrigued some game researchers, who have used WarioWare both as a case study in understanding the relationship between rules and play in videogames, and as a target domain for investigating automated game design.

All microgames are strung together in a random order within different "stages", each hosted by a different character. First, the player is presented with a quick one or two word instruction such as "Eat!" or "Rub!" Then, the microgame will appear and the player will have to complete the game according to the instruction.^{[citation needed]}

Microgames usually have only one task to complete. For example, in one microgame the player is told to "Enter!" and is presented with a scene from The Legend of Zelda. The player must use the directional buttons to move Link to a cave entrance before the time runs out. In another microgame, the player is told to "Avoid!" and must drive a car, avoiding oncoming traffic. Most microgames have a sound effect that signifies when the task is completed. The games by themselves are so brief so as to potentially demand the sharp reflexes of a quick-time event.^{[citation needed]}

Boss microgames always occur at a set point in a stage. They are usually more challenging than regular microgames, have no time limit (as described below), and give lives back upon completion. If a stage is played for the first time, it is completed after the boss microgame. The sound effect will usually play after the task is fulfilled, and then the score screen will return. On repeated plays, if the player has less than four lives, one will be restored.^{[citation needed]}

The unit of time for all microgames is beats. In Mega Microgames! and Twisted!, a standard microgame is 8 beats, double-length microgames (usually IQ-genre games) last 16 beats; Fronk's microgames in Twisted! and Gold only last 4 beats. In most games, the beats per minute (BPM) will start out relatively slow and will increase as the player completes microgames.^{[citation needed]}

In WarioWare: Touched!, the 8-beat standard has been dropped for all microgames, so many last longer than 8 beats. This may be a way to make the game easier for those unaccustomed to the Nintendo DS's touch-screen interface. To retain pace, the microgames will automatically end if cleared before a four-beat measure is met.^{[citation needed]}

To show the time left to complete a microgame, a small "bomb" appears at the bottom of the screen. The fuse and a countdown timer show the amount of time left to complete the microgame. When time runs out, the bomb explodes and in most cases, the player loses a life. The fuse burns faster when the BPM increases.^{[citation needed]}

Some microgames are intrinsically harder than others, and an increased BPM (increased speed) will make any microgame more difficult to complete than the same microgame at a slower BPM. This is usually reflected in the microgames' "clear scores"—the score one must reach while playing a microgame in the practice modes to obtain credit for "clearing" it.^{[citation needed]}

Each microgame features three difficulty levels. Most modes start at the easiest level, and progress to the next upon a "Level Up" (usually achieved after passing a boss microgame). Once the maximum level is reached, sequential "Level Up"s will typically be replaced by "Speed Up"s (an increase in BPM).^{[citation needed]}

Using the above The Legend of Zelda microgame as an example, the first version of this microgame usually places Link very close to the cave entrance that he must enter. The second version places the entrance further away and places an enemy that blocks Link, and the last version places the entrance yet further, and has a second enemy that shoots at Link from a lake.^{[original research?]}

Characters

There are two major types of character in the WarioWare series. The first are the WarioWare, Inc. developers, who both create and host the microgames. Each one has a unique theme or twist, depending on the game. For instance, Jimmy T.'s microgames in WarioWare: Twisted! are focused around large spins, while in WarioWare: Touched! his microgames involve rubbing objects with the stylus. The second group of characters often show up within the introduction cutscenes—the most notable being Fronk, who hosts "Pop-Up" microgames in WarioWare: Twisted! and WarioWare Gold and pops up in the most unlikely of places.

Reception and legacy

The Guardian likened the series’ format of quick, stripped-down challenges to the “interactive equivalent” of a punk song, emphasizing its speed and compulsive appeal. Commentary has also highlighted WarioWare’s reputation for formal experimentation with game structure and inputs. Writing about the series’ origins, The Guardian described the first WarioWare as an exercise in “gaming deconstruction” built around rapid instructions and five-second micro-games, and characterized later entries as iterating on the idea through different control schemes.

Industry press has similarly summarised WarioWare in terms of how well individual control concepts were executed rather than changing the core format. In that context, Game Developer described the rapid-fire sequencing of microgames as a test of reflexes and concentration and noted that early entries were received warmly for their “unique and well-implemented” play mechanics.

Academic discussion has also used WarioWare as a case study in how games communicate rules and conventions at extremely small scales. In Game Studies, Chaim Gingold argued that WarioWare functions as a “game about games” that foregrounds and distorts familiar design idioms through compressed, rapidly shifting microgames, making it useful for analyzing game design principles.

In legacy coverage, Polygon wrote that the microgame approach of the original WarioWare was rarely imitated outside its own sequel line and has remained a reference point for later projects that explicitly emulate the format. More broadly, The Guardian has referred to WarioWare as a “popular” series in reporting on Nintendo announcements of new entries, reflecting its continued visibility within Nintendo’s catalog.

External links

• Official website

References